Heating networks

With SaveEnergy solutions, the overall efficiency of heating networks can be increased by 20-30% without the use of additional primary energy. In heating networks the heat from condensation is a perfect means with which to raise the return temperature of the network. For the efficient use of heat from condensation, average return temperatures of below 50°C are required. In heating networks with unsuitable return temperatures, ‘bad’ consumers can be identified by the SaveEnergy temperature management system. The temperature analysis derives a specific plan of measures for the optimisation of the heating network on the basis of a profitability analysis.

Existing heating networksOn the basis of the SaveEnergy temperature analysis, the return temperatures in the heating network can be reduced to an average of 50°C with acceptable measures. In addition to the ability to recover heat from flue gas, the heat losses in the network are reduced. The greater temperature spread also allows more heat to be transported through the existing network. Upgrade measures enable the operator to sell up to 20-30% more heat using the same heating network, an identical wood-firing system and the same quantity of fuel.

New heating networksEfficiency-increasing measures also pay off when implementing new wood-fired heating plants. Targeted measures for an efficient hydraulic design can often be implemented at an early stage. An efficient design allows a greater temperature spread between the forward and return temperatures. This in turn results in a reduced mass flow rate in the heating network. This allows the heating network to be dimensioned on a smaller scale. The low return temperatures also allow heat to be recovered from the flue gas. An improvement of 20-30% in the overall degree of efficiency results in the use of a smaller wood-firing system with the same amount of heat. Part of the procurement costs incurred for the flue gas condensation unit is already financed by the lower investment costs for the wood-firing system. If profitability is considered from all angles, investments in efficiency-increasing measures pay off after only a few years. Increasing fuel costs will further improve the profitability of efficient systems.